This is the final week of Fringe, but it's still not too late to see BOTH of my shows.
A Thing for Redheads has two final performances:
Friday July 23 @ 10:30pm
Saturday July 24 @ 3:30pm
DC Theatre Scene just posted a four star review of this show. Reviewer Caitlin DeMerlis calls the play "witty, quirky, entertaining." Demerlis praises all four actors, and writes, "With a touch of Miley Cyrus and a dash of Britney Spears, Charlene V. Smith as pop star Jessie Morgan is poppin’ and lockin’ it ... Smith adds a terrifyingly realistic embodiment of the vapid stars that currently grace the covers of entertainment rags."
Macbeth sold out four of our five performances at the Capital Fringe Festival. Many people had to be turned away. Bummed because you missed this awesome production? Never fear, we are remounting it for two weekends in August at 1st Stage in Tyson's Corner.
The remount will run on the following dates:
Friday, August 6, at 8pm
Saturday, August 7, at 8pm
Sunday, August 8, at 7pm
Friday, August 13, at 8pm
Saturday, August 14, at 8pm
Sunday, August 15, at 7pm
Don't miss out, get your tickets now at Brown Paper Tickets.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Good Press for Macbeth
Macbeth is getting lots of buzz at the Capital Fringe Festival:
--We received a five-star "Pick of the Fringe" rating from DC Theatre Scene. Reviewer Kate Mattingly singled out the three witches, calling us "creepy and conniving."
--We are an Editor's Pick on the Washington Post's Going Out Guide. Critic Rebecca J. Ritzel described the production as "clever, lightning-quick and all about taking risks."
--Finally, the Washington City Paper reports on what happened opening night. A patron was so determined to see our show, he ripped the door off of its hinges.
Only three performances left!
Redrum @ Fort Fringe, 612 L Street, NW
Thursday July 15 @ 10:30pm
Saturday July 17 @ 7pm
Sunday July 18 @ 9:30pm
--We received a five-star "Pick of the Fringe" rating from DC Theatre Scene. Reviewer Kate Mattingly singled out the three witches, calling us "creepy and conniving."
--We are an Editor's Pick on the Washington Post's Going Out Guide. Critic Rebecca J. Ritzel described the production as "clever, lightning-quick and all about taking risks."
--Finally, the Washington City Paper reports on what happened opening night. A patron was so determined to see our show, he ripped the door off of its hinges.
Only three performances left!
Redrum @ Fort Fringe, 612 L Street, NW
Thursday July 15 @ 10:30pm
Saturday July 17 @ 7pm
Sunday July 18 @ 9:30pm
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Macbeth Opens Tonight!
Macbeth opens tonight at the Capital Fringe Festival. The show is at 8pm.
The Redrum at Fort Fringe: 612 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Closest metro stations: Mt. Vernon Square - Convention Center (Green/Yellow) or Chinatown - Gallery Place (Red).
Here's a sneak peak:
The Redrum at Fort Fringe: 612 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Closest metro stations: Mt. Vernon Square - Convention Center (Green/Yellow) or Chinatown - Gallery Place (Red).
Here's a sneak peak:
photos by Lee Liebeskind
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Actor's Ego
I was thrilled to see that the RSC had posted a link on their facebook page to an interview on the Guardian with Michael Boyd. Frankly, I'll read anything and everything about Michael Boyd. That man reached theatre god status when I saw the Histories cycle in 2008 which he directed. Plus he's brought the ensemble back to the RSC.
The interview is short, but telling. My favorite moment?
What is the biggest myth about theatre?
That it is more populated by egotists than any other profession.
Thank you Mr. Boyd! This has been a thought that's been rattling around in my head recently for a couple reasons. Mostly because I've recently watched the second season of Canadian TV show Slings and Arrows. The second season is the season in which the New Burbage Festival is performing Macbeth. So I could watch in the name of research. ;-) Anyway theatre people are dictated to love this show because it is about theatre people. Every theatre person has told another theatre person, "Oh, you must see Slings and Arrows!" But I began to feel a little annoyed with the show and its over-reliance on negative actor stereotypes. According to this show, people in the arts are all flaky, pleasure-driven egotists with no understanding of the real world. The second season is when Ellen finds herself undergoing a tax audit. Her constant insistence that "I'm just a poor actor! How can you expect me to understand taxes?!" gets a little grating.
If we are being fair, who really understands taxes anyway? And they are increasingly difficult and convoluted when you are an independent contractor. But the actors I know don't whine about them anymore than anyone else in the world, and we have to work harder to understand all the rules and regulations and how they apply to us. (On this note, I have a few friends that insist we can deduct makeup and costumes. We can't. One even says her tax preparer told her she could. He's wrong.)
But Slings and Arrows does get it right when they take on the magic of theatre, the wonder, what draws us all to it. “The theater is an empty box, and it is our task to fill it with fury, and ecstasy, and with revolution."
Are there egos in theatre? Absolutely. Divas? Yes. Difficult actors? Sure. But actors are also practical, selfless, hardworking, courageous, brave, generous, empathetic, smart, and curious. I had a guy on Facebook tell me that being an actor was my choice and since I chose that profession I didn't deserve health insurance. He was clearly under the false impression, as so many are, that actors are lazy leeches. I would challenge him to find a single day in his life where he has worked as hard as all my fellow actors in Macbeth have for the last month. This cast has thrown themselves into the challenges of this production, learning a bevy of new, demanding skills, without complaint. Capoeira, acrobatics, stage combat, physical theatre, etc. Wait until you see what we do with bamboo!
Uta Hagen wanted us to have respect for acting, and America certainly needs more of that. But how about a little respect for actors while we're at it?
The interview is short, but telling. My favorite moment?
What is the biggest myth about theatre?
That it is more populated by egotists than any other profession.
Thank you Mr. Boyd! This has been a thought that's been rattling around in my head recently for a couple reasons. Mostly because I've recently watched the second season of Canadian TV show Slings and Arrows. The second season is the season in which the New Burbage Festival is performing Macbeth. So I could watch in the name of research. ;-) Anyway theatre people are dictated to love this show because it is about theatre people. Every theatre person has told another theatre person, "Oh, you must see Slings and Arrows!" But I began to feel a little annoyed with the show and its over-reliance on negative actor stereotypes. According to this show, people in the arts are all flaky, pleasure-driven egotists with no understanding of the real world. The second season is when Ellen finds herself undergoing a tax audit. Her constant insistence that "I'm just a poor actor! How can you expect me to understand taxes?!" gets a little grating.
If we are being fair, who really understands taxes anyway? And they are increasingly difficult and convoluted when you are an independent contractor. But the actors I know don't whine about them anymore than anyone else in the world, and we have to work harder to understand all the rules and regulations and how they apply to us. (On this note, I have a few friends that insist we can deduct makeup and costumes. We can't. One even says her tax preparer told her she could. He's wrong.)
But Slings and Arrows does get it right when they take on the magic of theatre, the wonder, what draws us all to it. “The theater is an empty box, and it is our task to fill it with fury, and ecstasy, and with revolution."
Are there egos in theatre? Absolutely. Divas? Yes. Difficult actors? Sure. But actors are also practical, selfless, hardworking, courageous, brave, generous, empathetic, smart, and curious. I had a guy on Facebook tell me that being an actor was my choice and since I chose that profession I didn't deserve health insurance. He was clearly under the false impression, as so many are, that actors are lazy leeches. I would challenge him to find a single day in his life where he has worked as hard as all my fellow actors in Macbeth have for the last month. This cast has thrown themselves into the challenges of this production, learning a bevy of new, demanding skills, without complaint. Capoeira, acrobatics, stage combat, physical theatre, etc. Wait until you see what we do with bamboo!
Uta Hagen wanted us to have respect for acting, and America certainly needs more of that. But how about a little respect for actors while we're at it?
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